As The Moon's Image on the Water Breaks
by Trickster Rabbit
Summary: She stared to nowhere is particular. If this had happen earlier in the day when the sun shined and she wasn't engulfed by a nest of shadows she wouldn't have thought much of it but adrenaline already had a grip on her. She gulped, the lucid sound nearly sending her running towards where she came from. She grasped the handle violently and pushed, a rush of dusty air hitting her.
1. Chapter 1

Yet another attempt. This one is going up and then a revised (and a couple of new chapters) of Muse is coming. Yep. (Warning/spoilers: I like happy endings)

Story Time:

He tried to see them through the white wisps of his own 'hair' that clouded his vision without alerting his captors he was awake. Over the dull metal of the table's edge that barely reflected any light that leaked from the cold lamps above him he could see the psychic pokemon from before on the floor out cold, fainted from the images they were bombarded with the second they had entered his mind to enforce his obedience. Pausing, he mind idly drifted back and forth between the feelings of dread for them, their state of being stuck with these people and their physical condition, to indifference. As his line of thought faltered the sensation of his own body wavering came to him but he couldn't tell if the tremble in his body was physical. Trying to spur himself to focus again, he allowed himself to steal a larger breath from the stale air steeping in the chamber, releasing it with as little quivering as possible. Opening his eyes again he could see only two humans, both only partly in his range of vision. He would have to shift ever so slightly to see the two in their entirety from his position on the cold metal but that thought surged his instincts to the surface, urging him to flee here or drown them within their own fears. He would avoid their attention. Studying them, they seemed to be arguing and one appeared to be growing violent. At least in his hand gestures, the thought poked from beneath the surface. He strained to hear them but couldn't. The din from the ringing within his head was too lurid.

Suddenly surfacing into consciousness he nearly jerked but from his own weariness it was more of a flinch of his core muscles, a movement he now desperately hoped they didn't notice. He must have fainted, a feeling he remembered in full force he didn't like. (At all.) His glaze shifted to the side, thankfully hidden by soft white, where a flamboyant character was now speaking from the platform at the top of the stairs that hugged a far wall. The vibrant man, yelling and laughing as his face constantly twisted between a strange combination of joy and anger, but he didn't give off the right vibe. He delicately reached out with his psychic. There was something else . . . here, something that felt of an alarming cold.


	2. Chapter 2

Her gaze took step by step up the stairs, further into the inky shadows that hid the attic's door. Dread filled her even though the shuffling noise had stopped a while ago. A tentative, bare foot was eased to the first step. The cold railing now grasped in her small hand felt rough of rust and the jagged edges of cracking paint. Dully feeling its intricate design molded into its surface, she noted that on a previous trip to her grandma's house she found it was ironically of flowers and happy oddish. She focused her attention to her hearing, even pausing in her breath. _Could have sworn that was a sigh_. Letting go, together, both hands met with the unkempt polished wood of a higher stair step. Cautiously, a step after a step, a gingerly footfall then a hand settling in dust she scaled the stairs slinking like a glameow - more or less. She cranked her head upwards, her body still in its awkward position. She couldn't see much of the wood door that should be mere inches from her face. The light was so dim. A hand reached blindly, wandering through the depths of the shadows for a handle. Initially she missed, noticing the knob's setting brushing her index finger. The muscle clinched as she started to slide her hand closer. _Thonk_. Every muscle froze. She stared to nowhere in particular as her mind raced, adrenaline's rush swelling within her attempting to burst out and result in her running (and probably falling) down the stairs and not stopping until she was deep under her covers. She had heard that, right? A moment ago. Maybe it was something she had imagined. A grin nearly formed at that thought but it fell. Something . . . small had fallen beyond the door. If this had happen earlier in the day when the sun shined and she wasn't engulfed by a nest of shadows she wouldn't have thought much of it but adrenaline already had a grip on her. She gulped, the lucid sound nearly sending her towards the first step. She grasped the handle violently and pushed, a rush of dusty air hitting her.

Fully straightened, she fervently peered from side to side in the dim room only lit by the filtered moonlight that slipped through the gaps in the vent and danced off of any shiny object within. She braced her hands on either side of the doorframe and leaned into the room as if not setting a foot in there would protect her. Old boxes and older crests stacked by the vent were mostly silhouettes in the pale light as things further away slowly gained some definition. That one thing looked like a lamp with a tilted shade. She wrinkled her nose. You could see the dust hovering in the air.

_Sphhhss. _

She dropped down at the sound, her small frame hidden in a cove made by the boxes near the door. Minutes seemed to pass without another sound but the subtle wind rustling the trees outside. She shifted onto her knees to peer over the boxes to the corner where it sounded like the noise came from. Her stance settling, it was quiet again. Everything was so still, it seemed not even the shadows stirred despite the gentle dance of the trees outside. She finally moved forward all but crawling through the maze of bobs and things. Nothing _seemed_ out a place.

After quietly searching the room for what felt like ages, her fear was starting to fade and her adrenaline rush was all but gone giving her original sleepiness power over her. She steadied herself up on one bent leg, debating whether to stand or not. Her mind began to wander as the sleepiness wiped snug around her and began to gain control of her functions. Nearly dozing off her center shifted off her leg, tilting her forward sharply and knocking her from her haze. The front part of her foot burn slightly from being bent with such pressure and a small jolt of pain where her head had met with something. A hand shot up to cradle her forehead, fingers finding and tracing a small dent. It didn't seem like anything she needed to bring to Grandma. Her senses perked up as she noticed something on her other hand. Bringing it closer to her face she noticed something dark clashing against her hand pale even in the dim light. She raised it higher towards a stray shaft of light and stared. It looked like ink, kind of felt like it, too. A bit sticky, but also like . . . soot maybe? She focused on an edge that ran up her finger. It looked like it was bubbling away in puffs. She looked down to find where it had come from, her hand clenched tightly, held to her chest. It was so hard to see. If there was more of the stuff it was probably hidden by the shadows. "Should have brought a flashlight," she breathed.

"Alice?" The soft whisper nearly shot her through the roof.


	3. Chapter 3

He noticed the set of human eyes peering over the boxes at him and not much else but the top of her head but she was too young. She wasn't Alice and the resultant emotions nearly made him lose control of his powers in his weaken state, an action that would torture any within his full power's range. This was her house! He tried to move, only to have a groan to escape him and succeed in only a slight shift of his body. He stilled, oblivious to the she-child's reaction to his movements in his own haziness. Maybe Alice was gone now, too. (Like Alicia.) His stare grew blank as he contemplated human fragility. He wasn't good at keeping track of their time. Maybe the she-child would know her or something, supposed to be her house anyways and she is in it. This was Alice's house, right? Maybe in his state he had mistaken – no - it had to be. It's the one with red bricks by the bigger fountain, the – where was the child?

* * *

Sprinting quickly down hall and vaulting over the couch, the idea of Grandma finding a smudge on the fabric and telling her off drifted into her already racing mind. That would not be pleasant. Hopefully Grandma wouldn't notice any smudges of her plopping down on the cushions. It was an emergency anyways. Stumbling into the kitchen, the lights flicking on as she pulled the switch as she ran, she nearly tumbled over a kitchen chair as she was blinded by the violently blazing light and her own hand that tried to shielded her from it. Blindly pushing the nuisance out of the way she continued towards the closet at a slower pace. Mommy had taught her early on where the First Aid for humans and pokemon were kept. She rushed in once overcoming her disorientation and scurried up the creaky ladder nailed to the shelves. Noting the differences between the two cases she grabbed the pokemon First Aid. The right case slide easily from its place on the high shelf but immediately increased in weight as it gained its full freedom and nearly sent her toppling over the side of the ladder. Her mommy had told her stories of Darkrai and how he helped saved the city with her and her friends. The excitement was swelling up in her but it continued to be overshadowed by worry and fear. She gasp for a breath and held it, lifting the large case awkwardly and started stumbling off the ladder and back towards the hall. She should get Grandma, she noted. She would help. What had happen to it? Maybe it was a really mean trainer? One hadn't come in a while but Mommy had said before she was born some had come to her asking for knowledge about it. Her locks whipped around as she suddenly turned her head back towards the kitchen door. "Lantern. Need a lantern." The case didn't make much of a sound as it bonked on the floor. She skipped back towards the closet. In moments she held the emergency electric lantern in hand, wobbling violently as she raced to the case neglected on the hall floor. "Need a potion," she murmured, unclipping the latches and flinging open the lid, catching it again before the lid came back onto her outreached hand that was digging in its mouth. She grabbed one then paused to look at the small container before jamming it in her nightgown's pocket while her other hand grabbed two more. "Then Grandma." The lantern was snatched from the floor; her free arm cradled the potions in her pocket to her stomach, lifting her hem only inches. She rounded the corner and in several jumps had escaped the stair gauntlet and paused. Her heavy breathing calmed as she listened through the attic door. Her bursting in there would only frighten it and that was something Grandma and Mommy said never to do with an injured pokemon. There wasn't any movement in the corner of the attic she could see through the small amount the door had remained open when she had raced through it minutes before but that wasn't where he was a moment ago. The lantern dully thonked on the wood as the hand that held it squeaked the attic door open further. A few paces in she looked over the sea of boxes to the far side where she had last seen Darkrai. How had it gotten in here? She set the lantern on the flat surface of an old, leather chest stacked up on something hoping to not frighten it with the bright light. It was staring at her again. Before its eyes glowed brightly but strangely didn't radiate any light to illuminate the space around him. Now even that small glow was smothered by the lantern's. Looking for a path directly to it she saw none. Positioning herself to the side of a stack of boxes in her way to push she noticed more stains on the floor, taking extra care in observing the one splattered mostly in one swathe on the crest her hands were braced on. Realization hit her and she pushed the crest and the stain away with force, quickening her actions to clear a path. She stopped suddenly at the low groan as he shifted. "Oh, don't worry," she crouched down avoiding the ebbing stains, "see. I have potions. You know what they are, right? A bit of sting and you'll be all better." She smiled as brightly as she could hoping to gain its trust. It didn't move, she hoped that was from it trusting her and not that it couldn't move anymore. She inched a little move through the gap, the decision to move closer not wholly decided. "Can I?" It just stared. Her hand shuffled in her pocket and grasped the container firmly before lifting it out. Moving slowly she moved it towards it not getting much of a reaction. She guessed that meant trust. She gave what she could see of it a good look over to find the worse injuries and noting those to heal afterwards. Some burns and cuts. It didn't seem too bad but there were strange, little suction cups things on its body. She motioned again and with a lack of reaction from it her fingers pulled the lever back. It flinched, the sharp hiss escaping it nearly sending her darting back. It heaved a breath and settled. She looked on as its more exposed eye watched the wound seal. "I'm Miriam, by the way."


	4. Chapter 4

He was startled back into consciousness at a soft sound somewhere down past the door. His dizziness was not as bad as it had been when he had first slipped through the slits in the vent. The claw marks running down his back he had received when escaping still burned, his position not helping. He sighed, the girl was still gone and this was one time he needed them.

The creak of a door shook him from his mind's wandering. Soft footfalls alerted him to a presence but he was too tired to even tense so he succumbed to the sullen path of waiting quietly, finally giving in fully to his body's needs. It was probably the girl. But if she brought others they may attack. He forced himself to listen for more footfalls. He heard none. It wasn't long until the girl stood where she had been before this time lantern in hand. Her eyes never left him as she placed the lantern on a dull-leather chest further away. She disappeared briefly behind the wall of human things before a clump of it violently moved and causing several of the items to clunk to the floor. Her worried face popped in between the sides of the hole. She inched closer. When she reached into her pocket he felt actual fear, old experiences coming back to him. What if it was a pokeball? A previous trainer, Tobias, hadn't been a bad trainer but she was not him and she was not Alice. Gingerly, she held out a potion, explaining what it was. Annoyingly she waited to give him the medicine, just leaned in and pointlessly held it towards him. When she finally pulled the trigger she flinched as he hissed from the sting and hesitated to continue. He thought about reaching for it himself when she finally moved again. She would spray a little then peel off one of those men's monitors he had been too . . . preoccupied to do himself then spray a little more. _I'm Miriam, by the way_, she said. He didn't remember anyone of the name of importance to him. After a while she seemed pleased with her work and started to get up. "Wait," he tried to make it sound as little threatening as possible and shifted onto his front using his newfound energy, exposing the poisoned wound along his back. He could sense her faltered but he couldn't see her expression, twisting around only when he felt her hand fully on his back.

"Who did this?" The smile from before was gone.

(*&^&*

The wound on its back was disconcerting to her. She had never seen a wound like that in her young life. The pokemon in the gardens rarely played rough and she never saw the traveling trainers allow this to happen to them. The potion did what it could. After returning from taking another trip down stairs for bandages, she bandaged the worse of them. (She and Grandma needed to get more potions in the morning for it and to refill the Pokemon First Aid case). The stains littering the old wood had bubbled away by now. Straightening, she turned to the door and glanced back at the sleeping pokemon. Well, she believed it was sleeping. She studied the floor. The way the stuff bubbled away was . . . strange. Her own tiredness was catching up with her quickly but she needed to tell Grandma and get the case out of the middle of the floor. Someone could trip, she thought sleepily. A yawn fled from her, filling her with memories of the softness of sleep. Her pace was much slower than it had been earlier in the night but steady. She didn't need to think much as she rounded the opposite corner of the hall to Grandma's room. This handle was cold too. _Maybe we should turn up the heater_. She simple walked in and strolled sleepily to the side of her grandma's bed. She called once, then again, this time louder but her grandma didn't wake (but she did seem to snore louder to the Miriam's annoyance). "Fine," she didn't care if she spoke at normal level, her grandma could probably sleep through a herd of aggron going through the house. "I still need to get some blankets." Her gaze caught the linen cabinet through the other door and into Grandma's bathroom. Opening it she sized up the innards of the cabinet, this one unfortunately lacking a ladder to accommodate her small statue. Going for the top would mean an avalanche. Those stains were gone so her grandma probably wouldn't mind if she used the winter comforters on the bottom instead. (She goes on about tough they are to clean, though). Pulling the overstuffed comforter only ended in it coming undone from its neat folding. She gathered what she could, some edges still slipping out clumsily. "Goodnight Grandma," she flung out. Blinded by fluff she headed back to the stairs, making note to not trip on the case. Once in the attic she looked over the boxes towards Darkrai, noticing the pale blue light again.


	5. Chapter 5

The shifting, bright light irritated him greatly as it kept finding its way into his exposed eye, blinding him repeatedly with its playful dance, laughing at him for sleeping pass the morning's birth. Frustrated, he shifted, grimacing as the wound on his back flared, the sunlight streaming through the vent had won out in the end. He looked at the human fabric that was now right in front of his face. Its pastel colors rather . . . cheerful. He quickly made a note to flip it over when he had recovered enough of his energy. The she-child . . . Miriam . . . had fallen asleep very late last night and probably wouldn't be up until late into the swaying sun. He may not know much about human personal habits but their sleep patterns were very familiar. Past the door was still quiet. Humans typically were up at this time. He knew there was another in the house, shouldn't the person (sadly this person didn't feel like Alice either) be up by now? Even with his lack of energy he still put effort into keeping his powers in check during the night. (And he was starting to get hungry from it.) Maybe he could supplement it with solid food? It had worked before. He looked towards the direction of the door even though his view was obstructed by human things. He settled down again, sighing into the flowery smelling fabric. The human "perfume" stuff was not as good.

His mind drifted back towards those people that had held him in the caves far from here. A simple question of why came forth. There were more powerful pokemon than him and his ability to force people into nightmares could only do so much. _Scare people from doing something, maybe_. _Implant ideas?_ Making that _money_ could very well be involved. _Weird humans._ The shadow of a man behind the glass . . . _she_ may be in danger as well. He paused, his other never paid him much heed anymore once she knew he no longer remember. She had even viciously attacked him at first before she realized he wasn't the . . . what was it that she said? Same. The taunts she had thrown at him. Eventually she just stopped interacting with him all together. He buried his head further into the cloying scent. She could take care of herself. Why did the more malicious humans go after him?

(*&^&*

Her morning routine finish, the elderly woman shuffled into the kitchen to start breakfast. She had promise her beloved granddaughter a treat with biscuits and that she could help her with the poppins for the young garden pokemon. She had just turned the knob to preheat the oven when the bell hanging in the hall sounded. "Who could that be," she double checked to make sure she had turned off the oven she had just barely turned on. Walking past the stairway to the second floor the bell dangled again but she still paused briefly. "Miriam, dear, time to wake up up there!" The bell rang again as she grabbed the handle of the front door. "Yes?" She asked through the scene door.

"Hello, Mrs. Albo [no known last name so I made one up]?"

"Yes." She watched the young man's bronzon drift against the wind.

"I'm Pokemon Ranger Kite. I assume you know what rangers do."

Her face twisted ever so slightly. "Yes. Please get to the point, young man."

"Well," he flipped open the operator on his wrist typing, "several witnesses last night witness an injured Darkrai [noting this only because it may get confusing. Darkrai and certain other legendaries there are only one, Kite is referring to Darkrai in a disassociated sense because it's a pokemon.] haphazardly zooming across the city in about this direction from the east. With your daughter-in-law's family's connections with the legendary pokemon perhaps it has come to you seeking help."

"Oh dear. Serious injuries?"

"We don't know for certain."

She thought for a moment. "That pokemon helped save this city and my daughter-in-law's life twice. I would certainly help," she shook her head, "but I haven't seen any sign of it."

"I understand. Sorry to bother."

"Nonsense. Keep me informed."

A subtle smile. "Alright." After a few minutes of walking, the old house out of view, he turned to his partner. "Did you sense anything?" The bronzon nodded.


	6. Chapter 6

Miriam jerked awake at the sound of her grandma calling for her. Clumsily sitting up, desperately trying to rub the sleep from her eyes she attempted to drag her legs to the side of the bed. "Yeah, I . . . a . . . sl," she ended inaudibly. There was something important to remember, her mind reminded her in her groggy state. Suddenly remembering she flailed to escape her sheets exceeding only in toppling over the side of the bed with a thump. She lay on the floor awkwardly, stunned but definitely more awake.

Heading up to the attic she rubbed her head. The pain from her hand caressing the goose egg caused her to wince. The door open easily, its creaking didn't seem as loud as it was last night. Then every noise she heard sounded vulgar against the dead quiet when she had first ascended the stairs. Now, in the day time the attic was fairly lit with sunlight filtering through the vent, the shafts of light breaking now and then likely from the trees outside. "How did you get in here?" She turned to the pile of stuff where she last knew Darkrai was at, heading towards it through the maze. Maybe it moved or left? She remembered his wounds and dismissed the thought. Smiling, she poked her head over to see the makeshift nest. "What are you doing," she realized it was removing some of the bandages.

"These wounds don't need to be bandaged anymore," it continued to unwrap the white gauze around its wrist.

"Oh, okay." Shifting onto one foot, the other was free to waver in the air. She smiled brightly earning Darkrai's stare. "My Mommy likes to talk about you." Its eye's gaze didn't falter. "You save her and her friends and how you saved the city," the eye widen ever so slightly. "And here you are, I actually get to meet ya. You know, she worried when people stopped talking about seeing you around." Her attention left her memories to its wide eye. "What?"

"Are you Alice's . . . child?"

A smile broke free. "Yep!"

"Is she still. . .living?"

"Why wouldn't she be," Miriam's face clearly shown her concern but it only mumbled back.

"I," she paused, hearing her grandma's voice beyond the vent. Darkrai's eye followed her as she skipped to the vent to look out. "Who's that man?" That got its attention. The sound of it shuffling peeled her eyes from the man down below forcefully. "What are you doing moving? You're in no condition."

"The man!" It spoke in an urgent whisper. "Describe him!"

"He looks like a ranger, they're good guys." She grabbed an old looking glass collecting dust nearby. A very old looking glass she inferred as she glanced down at her ashen hands, a very, very old looking glass that had been gathering dust for a very long time. Quickly wiping both lens clean with her nightgown she positioned it towards the man, absentmindedly wiping her free hand on her front as she peered through a lower slit. "Yep, looks like a ranger and a kid one too. I know!" She brightened. "I'll go get Grandma and the ranger."

"No one else."

She turned to Darkrai who seemed to be sulking. The looking glass forgotten on an even dustier table she clambered over the leather crest to the edge of the nest. "What happened last night?"

Its eye turned to her but stayed quiet. It almost looked like it was pleading.

"Look, I'm won't let whoever it was get ya, promise. Neither would Grandma or the ranger." She looked down at the discarded bandages abandoned on the floor around it. Some gauze still had specks of its blacken soot on them. "I'll go get a trash bag." She felt its gaze watch her leave downstairs.

(*&^&*

"This is so exciting," his face still fell slightly, "but it still could be dangerous; to leave at only ten-years-old."

"I know Tonio but Miriam needs to explore the world and it's still a couple of years off. There's so much more than our comfortable town." She looked back at the covered carrier strapped down in the backseat. "She'll have a friend with her. You always need a good friend," and the car chugged along.


	7. Chapter 7

She closed the door behind her as she entered the kitchen from the back garden. With that done she needed to go find Grandma. Miriam could tell she had been in the kitchen but she wasn't there now. Where could she have gone; the bathroom perhaps? Nearly out of the kitchen a lone jar on the counter nestled in a corner caught her eye. She tiptoed towards it, knowing what it held. Reaching for the lid gingerly, her clean overalls won't be clean for long she thought as she stuffed her pockets with some of the leftover goodies. She wondered, staring up towards the attic if Darkrai would like some. Rounding the corner towards the stairway she heard the front door's knob click behind her, stopping her dead in her tracks. She darted back to view the entry way but made sure she was hidden behind the wall. The door stood still, but then as the door angled open she froze.

"Miriam! Mother!" A flood of pokemon swept under the two adults' feet. Miriam leaped right into the front of it.

"You're home early!" The words were muffled under the pokemon.

"Miriam, we have something for you." They laughed cheerfully as their daughter romped around. Miriam seemed to not hear them, stopping only when Leafeon buried her face into Miriam's front pocket.

"Hey, not those. There're more in the kitchens."

"Miriam." She looked up at her mother with a questioning look. Her gaze travel down her arm to the something covered in cloth. The girl fought through the energetic pokemon to settle on her front braced on her hands and stared quietly.

Her mother sat the thing down gently, a warm smile on her face. Towering over the little thing she tugged the cover back and undid the latch, the door swinging open wide. [author: don't tell me about pokeballs] She watched in awe as a little pokemon leaped out announcing itself with a sharp bark. Miriam stumbled over and lifted the dog pokemon up. "What are you?"

"He's a lillipup." Her Daddy explained. "They're a common pokemon where we were staying for our business trip."

She stared, the lillipup smiled back. Her smile grew large enough to encompass the full moon. "You're so cute!" Both cheered happily. The poor thing was surprise when she suddenly grew still. "Mommy! Upstairs! I forgot!"

"What," a little worry slipped in.

A concerned lillipup securely cradled to her crest she scrambled up and grabbed her mommy's hand. "Come on!" She darted off tugging her mommy as fast as she would go. It seemed like forever for her as they rounded the final corner to the stairway to the attic. She stopped at the door and brought lillipup to her eyelevel, speaking softly. "Don't bark at it, okay. It had a bad night." The pup nodded. (She heard her father finally catching up to them). She slid the door open. Once her mommy stepped into the attic she pointed to the nest.

Alice followed the direction her daughter was pointing in. Something shifted. Knowing the presence she rushed to the stack of boxes.

"Honey?" Tonio called from behind in the doorway. His wife quickly jumped behind some of his boxed up old things and disappeared, grabbing his daughter's attention. More cautiously he moved forward leaning over the side.

"What happened?" He saw his wife place her hand near Darkrai's bandaged middle.

"Didn't identified themselves but they were different." Darkrai twisted from on his front to look up at Alice.

"They weren't trainers? Do you know why they attack?"

"No."

"And this wound?"

"Escaping."

Miriam moved forward with lillipup. Placing him near the lantern she spoke. "That's Darkrai. Its a family friend." The pup stared not sure what to make of the pokemon before him. She turned to Darkrai. "He he, isn't he cute. Mommy brought him here to go on the journey with me I was telling you about."

"There you are. What are you guys doing up here? I was coming from the backyard garden when I heard a commotion, then I got tackled by these hungry pokemon," Grandma motioned to the figures following her from the staircase. She moved towards her granddaughter and son-in-law. "They act like you don't feed them. What's the matt-oh!" The basket she held nearly spilled when she jerked back, startled by the dark form surrounded by her good winter comforters. "Oh, dear."

"Tonio, go get the pokemon first aid." Alice started to unwrap the large swathe of white around his middle.

"Right!" He slipped from view and headed downstairs quickly.

"I gave it most of the potions in the case." Miriam went on. "Its a lot better than it was last night when I found it."

"Dear, why didn't you tell me you had found it and that it needed medical assistant?" Her grandma called behind her.

"I tried, I was up all night with it and then I was a bit afraid to actually fall asleep. When I went to you you wouldn't wake up. Eventually I just conked out." Her anxiety started to raise, the instinct to get out of trouble mounting.

Her father dashed in. The case seemed heavy even to him the way he was carrying it. "How is he?"

"Gave me an antidote. The wound on his back is poisoned." Miriam's look twisted, she hadn't realized that at the time.

"Gotcha." Tonio handed the container over to her.

"Mother, take Miriam and go down stairs with her. Darkrai. You said they were different, different how? Describe what happen."

"I'm not going. I'm a big girl Mommy. I'm going to be a trainer and I'm going to have to know how to take care of pokemon." If she was going to work with pokemon, she held the words within her feeling their weight, she was going to have to get better at things like simply diagnosing their problems.

"It's not the sight of the wound that I'm worried about dear."

"Or maybe I want to be a ranger. They supposed to do nothing but help pokemon."

"Alice," her husband called to her earning her gaze.

She sighed, her attention back on the enflamed wound she had sprayed checking its progress. "Alright. Continue Darkrai."

"Maybe I should call that Ranger who was here early."

Tonio turned to his mother-in-law. "A ranger came by."

"Earlier this morning. He came by asking if Darkrai had come here for help. His name was Kite."

"Funny name," Tonio added.

"I've heard stranger."

"Daddy," her father looked to her. "Would that be a good idea?"

"It may be for the best. If the 'different' he said mean what I think it does. We don't have the skills to handle some underground shadow organization." He adjusted his glasses. By then Grandma had taken out her cellphone and flipped open the side. Tonio covered the cell gently with his hand. "Darkrai, did they say anything about their intentions?"

"The ringing was too loud."

"Ringing," Grandma asked.

Tonio's face was unreadable. "We best not use the public or satellite lines. They're too easy to tap. Someone should take our strongest pokemon in the morning with them and find him directly." Grandma nodded in understanding, gently closing the phone.

Miriam moved to sit next to mother and caught its blue eye. "Sorry about not realizing the wound was poisoned."

Darkrai remained quiet. Hesitant, he waited for an idea to pop into his mind on how to handle this. He felt uncomfortable with all these people with him in plain view even if Alice was here and he couldn't drift into the shadows. If this had been just six springs ago he would have attacked. "Several turns ago I was on the boundaries of the town. At least two men captured me in a prison of light. Not pokeball. We went deep into the catacombs threaded under Alma." He paused. His vocal chords weren't use to talking this much.

"There're catacombs?" Miriam interjected. Pup was getting interested too, leaning in.

"They did tests or something." His deep voice faded. Alice's face remained stoic.

"The suction cups!" Miriam suddenly remembered the number of them she had tossed into the garbage bag which had now sat untouched for some time in the can in the alley.

"Suction cups?" Alice gave him a look he didn't quite understand.

"Monitors." Tonio interjected.

Darkrai had stopped talking for a while when Alice spoke up. "Did you see anyone acting like their leader? Did one stand out and give out orders?"

He contemplated those questions. Only one seemed to fit the question but the cold radiating from that human silhouette on the glass was something to note. "Maybe two." He watched Alice's face changed. "One was yelling at them. Other sat behind the glass."

"Could you give the ranger directions to their lab? Here, sit up so I can dress this wound." Alice took his arm in her hand.

"They may have moved by now." There were soft sounds coming from the case as Tonio shuffled through it. "We'll need more potions, too. In case of anything."

"I'll pass by the shop later. It's unlikely I'll come across him yards from our front step."

"Wait," Tonio looked up towards the cove in the boxes, forgetting for a moment he couldn't see his wife from this position. "Who – I never said you need to go."

"It'll be fine, Tonio."

"What? We were just going on about getting supplies and avoiding giving anyone any hints that he's here and – there is probably some irrational group of people trying to -"

"We had a fairly similar conversion in the car, Tonio, and you know I can typically take care of myself." She turned to the several pokemon who had taken seats near the door, her mother's chingling did not look happy as she glared at the injured pokemon. Their two drifblim appeared unaware of anything else going on other than their quiet chatting. "Did you want to volunteer?"

"I – yes." He let it go. "Well Chingling could sense anyone with hostile intentions around you and we could ask Gallade to help." He was about to verbally agree with his own suggestion before thinking of something, his face twisting with inner turmoil. "No, Chingling should stay here and help counteract any searching psychic. Gallade would still help protect you. His skills would be more refined."

"Mother," Alice called to her from behind the short wall, "when you give the rest of the leftover poppins to the garden pokemon ask for Gallade and see if he can help. Leafeon and," she paused, "Drifblim. Swift ." The other Drifblim shifted towards her. "Do you want to come with me?" It floated down to her, nodding as its partner drifted to its side.


End file.
